According to figures from Data Insight, Russian ecommerce revenues grew by 28% to $16.3bn last year, making it an important battleground for several companies, including Alibaba, Ebay and local rivals. In addition, Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Yuri Milner are both investors in Alibaba.

It is understood that the Russian communications assignment is being overseen by Molly Morgan, senior manager of international corporate affairs at Alibaba EMEA. Both Morgan and representatives from H+K, however, declined to comment.